Search - Eddie Thompson :: Plays Ellington Monk Garner & Blake

Memories of a Jazz Piano Player

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 05/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I discovered Eddie Thompson because he's on some recordings with the (sadly) almost equally obscure tenor sax giant, Spike Robinson. What's surprising is to learn in the liner notes (written by Thompson himself) that his activity was not confined to Europe but that he spent considerable time playing in the States, at jazz landmarks like the Hickory House and Village Gate and before audiences such as Duke Ellington and Erroll Garner. He was moreover apparently a close friend of the Monks (Thelonious, Nellie, and of course Nica).



Eddie's a swinging, mainstream player in the Red Garland-Gene Harris tradition but reflecting some of the influence of Bill Evans in his chord voicings (especially evident if you compare Thompson's reading of "C Jam Blues" with Red's). This is grooving, fresh though immediately accessible piano playing from the first through last tracks. Thompson manages to reflect no small amount of the piano styles of the composers themselves (Ellington, Garner, Monk) while making his own mark as a major player who deserves to be heard and remembered.



It's ironic that in his notes Eddie insists that unless present-day musicians continue to honor the giants--Armstrong, Hawkins, Garner, Monk--there can be no future for this tradition-rich music. Three years after this recording Thompson himself would pass away (at the age of 61), and his warning carries a chilling resonance six years into the new millenium."